Lips of an Angel
by trufflesun
Summary: As Sam and Dean are about to be swallowed by the darkness, they are whisked away by archangel Gabriel. Sastiel and Debriel Sequel to "Sastiel Through the Seasons."


Dean looked at his brother as the cloud of darkness covered them.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry," Dean said, "For everything I've done, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Sam said, "And me too."

"We're not getting out of here alive, are we?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam answered, "But…at least we're together, right?"

"Yeah," Dean looked out the window at the darkness, "I'll never get to apologize to Cas, though."

The older brother heard no response, so he looked over to Sam. The passenger's seat was empty.

"Sam," He panicked, "Sam! Where are you? Sam?"

His heart raced, and he began to look all over the interior of the car. A lump formed in his throat as he realized what had happened. The darkness had somehow taken Sam.

Only a moment later, Dean was ripped out of the car, and thrown into an unknown place. It was a large room, walls and floor made of what looked like cement, like an unfurnished basement. A few beds sat near the edge of the room, though that was about it for decoration. It was warm, room temperature, and not all that bright, though brighter than the darkness. Dean was left in the middle of the room, on the floor.

"Sam?" He asked again, panic still in his voice.

"Relax," A voice said, "Sam's fine."

"Who are you?" Dean demanded, "Where am I?"

Before Dean appeared a man with brown hair and a smirky face.

"You," The older brother said with confusion, "You…you're dead."

The hunter got up and backed away from the archangel Gabriel. Next to Gabriel, appeared Sam, who Dean hugged immediately.

"WAS dead," Gabriel spoke, "I was brought back, at some point. Stayed in hiding for a while. But that's enough about me."

"Where are we?" Dean asked again.

"Heaven," The archangel answered, "An unused part of Heaven. Where I've been for the past few years."

The older brother was stumped. What could he say to the "trickster" who had sacrificed himself so the two brothers could escape?

"Dean," Gabriel said, "I should have known it was you two. Do you have ANY idea what you've done? I should put you in another endless loop of death for this. Oh wait…you KILLED Death."

Gabriel looked genuinely afraid, and he was. He was only a young archangel, a toddler by angel standards, when he fought back the darkness with his father and brothers.

"Gabe, he didn't know," Sam defended, "We didn't…"

The archangel chuckled, "Forgive them father, for they know not what they have done."

Sam thought for a moment.

"Where's Cas?"

The archangel groaned dramatically.

"Yes, I forgot," He said with great sarcasm, "Your favorite angel. The precious guardian. Stay here. I'll be right back."

Castiel fainted. He felt nothing but pain, tasted his own blood, until he felt a warm hand across his forehead. The touch of an archangel, though that was impossible, as they were all gone. Next thing he knew, he was in Heaven. However, the area he was in was a place he'd never been to before.

Gabriel stared at Castiel, fire in his eyes, and the younger angel knew immediately that he was in trouble.

"Castiel," The archangel spoke, "You've killed hundreds of angels. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I…"

"I COULD smite you where you stand," Gabriel said, "It would be easy. But I won't."

Castiel shivered. Gabriel wasn't going to kill him, not quickly, at least. He knew what would happen. He knew what happened when an archangel took the time to punish a regular angel. It was a rare occurrence, saved up for the most severe of crimes, such as angel genocide. Castiel would wish he was dead by the time it was over.

"I'm sorry, Gabriel," Castiel apologized, "But, if I may ask, how are you still alive? Didn't Lucifer kill you?"

The archangel laughed, which threw Castiel off.

"I'm just screwing with you," He chuckled, "Long story short, I was brought back. I found you in the bunker, trying to kill a demon. Some witch put a curse on you. Don't worry, it's gone now. I got Sam and Dean in the other room."

"Are they…"

"They're alive," Gabriel said, "Figured Heaven would be safer than Earth at the moment."

Castiel followed the arch to the room where the two brothers resided. Sam hugged Castiel, but Dean only stared.

"Hello, Dean," Castiel said, "The Mark is off of you?"

"Yeah," Dean said, "Cas, I'm sorry."

Castiel assumed Dean was talking about the beating, which the angel barely gave a second thought. Being an angel, he simply healed himself shortly after Dean left the bunker. He knew, however, that the older brother would desire the angel's forgiveness.

"I forgive you, Dean," He said, "And I'm glad to see that you are safe."

The angel had worried for his friend. The Mark had turned the once good, but quick tempered hunter into an evil monster. Castiel knew, as he'd experienced with the Leviathans, that Dean would come to regret what he'd done while being "evil."

Sam lie in one of the beds, which was far more comfortable than it looked, his arms wrapped around Castiel in a lazy embrace. He was far too tired to notice when Dean entered the room. The older brother simply gave the two a strange look.

"Is this another one of the things you've been keeping from me, Sammy?" Dean asked calmly.

"Dean, don't be upset…" The younger brother begged.

"Does he make you happy, Sam?"

"Yeah, he does."

At this point, Sam was nearly asleep. The younger brother had a long standing problem with "forgetting" to sleep, as well as "forgetting" to eat.

"Cas," Dean addressed, "Guess he makes you happy, too."

The angel petted Sam's head as the hunter drifted off to sleep.

"Yes," He said, "Sam is tired. I suspect he hasn't slept since you went on your…rampage. As for…um…dating him behind your back…"

"Let me guess, I can't get in the way of true love."

The angel shrugged.

"Be good to him," Dean said.

"I will."

Dean lied down on his own bed, only to be greeted by Gabriel.

"Hey Cassy," Gabriel said, "So, you and Sammy?"

Castiel looked embarrassed, and a little afraid.

"Is it…Cassammy? Samstiel?" The arch continued, "An angel with a human…"

Gabriel just shook his head, laughed, and went over to Dean.

"What do you want?" Dean asked.

The Arch studied the hunter. Like Castiel, Gabriel also liked to observe humans, on a more up close and personal level, however. He favored Dean, though he was more desperate to get his family back to normal again. As normal as an angel family can be, that is. Dean was an attractive human; rugged looking, short hair, emerald green eyes, puffy lips, and freckles, but damn if he wasn't broken as all hell. Gabriel accepted that, for Dean wasn't the only broken one. Though Dean seemed to favor only women, which might be a problem for Gabe and his vessel, an actor named Richard.

"To apologize for killing you a bunch of times," Gabriel said, "And putting you into fake tv show universes. For starters."

"You saved us," Dean said, "You risked yourself to save us."

"I was desperate," Gabriel said, "They may just be angels to you, but they're my family. To have one of them thrown into the pit for something he had no control over…He'd volunteered, said 'Dad, I'll take the Mark.' I wish he didn't…I wish it was me…"

"Gabe…"

"I thought…if the angels got past their fight, finished what they needed, then maybe Dad would come back."

Dean listened carefully.

"It's been years, centuries since I've seen him," The Arch said, "I wish I could talk to him again. I wish…he hadn't given up on us."

Gabriel began to shake, tears in his eyes. The hunter had no idea how to comfort him, so he just stared.

"You don't believe, do you, Dean? A lot of humans don't. It's different for me. I was always different. The other Arch's did what they were told, but not me. I went out on my own…See, Dad and I constantly butted heads. He was annoyed by me, I know that, maybe even glad that I left."

"Come on," Dean challenged, "I'm sure he missed you. Maybe he tried to send something over archangel radio."

"Dean, how do you feel about me?"

The hunter stared at Gabe for a moment.

"You mean YOU or your vessel?"

"Both, I suppose," Gabe answered, "But my vessel's been dead, somewhere in heaven for at least a millennia."

"You remind me of Sam in a lot of ways," Dean began, "I mean, you…left your family, but still cared about them. On the other hand, you remind me a lot of…me."

"How so?"

"You like sweets, you're a sexual deviant, and…you've got daddy issues."

"I do NOT…" Gabe started, then stopped when Dean raised an eyebrow, "Fine. What am I supposed to think? He's gone."

Dean put his arm around the archangel's shoulder, instantly making the two feel better.

"A little bit," The hunter said.

"What?"

"I like guys," Dean answered, "But only a little bit."

"Does Sam know about this?"

"Nope. He'll be in for a shocker when he wakes up."

"Dean," Sam said when he found out about Gabriel, "On the long list of things you don't tell me, THIS…actually isn't that bad. Why haven't you told me?"

"Well, we're hunters, Sam," Dean answered, "I mean, there was Azazel, me going to Hell, the angels, the apocalypse, Purgatory, Leviathans, the Mark. There wasn't really time to…"

"And he had a sneaking suspicion that if he indulged in the other part of his sexuality, the angels would send him straight back to Hell," Gabriel asserted, "Isn't that right, Dean?"

Dean glared at him.

"I did sense some strange vibes when we first met," Castiel said, "I thought it was animosity. Perhaps it was a mix of fear."

"Leave me alone," Dean spat, "All of you, just…go away."

He sighed deeply as Gabriel put an arm around him.

"I know I wasn't exactly open myself," Sam said.

"I've known about you for a while, Sammy," Dean chuckled.

"What?"

"Ever since I found a certain magazine under your mattress," Dean explained, making Sam go red in the face, "I think you were thirteen or so. What was it called? Playgirl? Of course, I made sure Dad never found out. I didn't want to embarrass you."

"Well, good job of that," The younger brother said sarcastically.


End file.
